Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) to bring together professionals, students and educators on October 26-30, 2011, in Anaheim, Calif.

The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) has announced that it will hold its premier annual conference in Anaheim, Calif. on October 26-30, 2011 at the Anaheim Convention Center.

The multi-faceted national conference offers a wide-range of programs for middle- and high-school youth, university students, and professionals in STEM fields of all levels. Some of the highlights of the conference include:

Career Expo: Expected to attract more than 300 of the nation's top employers and universities.

Professional Program: Several certification courses and concentrated tracks in business development and green engineering are available to aid professionals in skills development.

Graduate Program: The Graduate Institute includes seminars designed to nurture the development of future faculty and researchers.

Undergraduate Program: A track filled with technical and experiential learning opportunities for university students.

Pre-College Symposia: An extensive program that exposes Hispanic youth in grades six through 12 to STEM subjects and career opportunities.

“Our conference and year-round programming is becoming increasingly more important as we continue to face a lack of diversity in STEM industries and a shortage of qualified talent,” said SHPE Chief Executive Officer Pilar Montoya. “We believe that SHPE is an important part of the solution to these issues by inspiring Hispanic youth to pursue STEM-related careers and supporting Hispanic professionals who are making inroads at their respective organizations.”

The conference agenda also includes the STAR Awards ceremony, which honors top Hispanics in several categories and a Distinguished Lecture Series where participants can hear from renowned educators, researchers, scientists and engineers, who have made a significant impact in broadening access to engineering, technology or education for the Hispanic community.

Schools or individual middle- or high-school students interested in attending the Pre-College Symposia can register at www.shpefoundation.org.

“This year’s conference provides an incredible lineup of educational, technical and career programming that no one in the STEM industry will want to miss,” affirmed Serafin Fernandez, SHPE conference chairman. “For professionals and students, we are providing new and innovative programs that will assist them in furthering their skills to better compete in today’s STEM world."